Mainstay - My Music Lifeline

Another one of my far away favorites is visiting this weekend...SWEET!

In about 7 hours she will get on a plane to go home...BITTER!

I stumbled upon an amazing band last week just before I started struggling with the pain of distance. This isn't a new pain. It's all too familiar, and if I had my choice, I would have become a hermit a long time ago. Fortunately, God has a different idea. I don't quite have a grip on His idea, but I'm trying to figure it out...

Something He's given me is this band called Mainstay (Album - Become Who You Are).

Where You're Heart Belongs
It feels like everyone has left you
You're not alone
I hear you call
And I've been waiting here for you through it all
You're not alone
Come to the cross
And let me show you where your heart belongs
You're not alone...

I will never leave you
Come back to my open arms
To the only love you need

As I've said before, music speaks to me. Sometimes it's my lifeline.

Bittersweet

BITTERSWEET moments.

9:00 pm...SWEET! One of my favorites was visiting from out of state. We had nearly 2 hours of blissful conversation, catching each other up on the intricacies of our lives. My favorite has a special way of pulling out painful truth, all while encouraging me in a "God will be there for you and so will I" way. With her, I hold nothing back. Authenticity at it's best. That's where life change happens for me.

11:00 pm...BITTER! Hugs. Goodbyes.

There have been at least 3 of my favorites that have journeyed to other parts of the country/world in the past year. BITTERSWEET. I know that each one was called by God to fullfil His purposes...SWEET! But they are so far from me...BITTER!

There are two of my other favorites waiting on God to see if He is calling them to another part of the country. I've been talking to God about this lately. He asked me if I always had my favorites near, would I need Him? Of course I would, but would I talk to Him about my problems or would I call my favorites first? Would I spend quality time with Him or would I give Him 15 minutes before I drift off to sleep because I was with my favorites all night?

I suppose that regardless of whether or not my favorites are near, God should be my priority. Thanks for the spiritual check, Dad!

Working on it...

Opinion vs. Truth. I want truth. JUSTICE - Part 2

Opinion vs. Truth. I want truth.

JUSTICE

Just - not doing wrong to any; righteous; honest; true; upright

Justice - conformity to the principles of righteousness (doing what is right) and moral integrity in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of men with each other


You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 16:18 - 20

Application...God's commands to his people given through Moses:
1. The government must judge people fairly.
2. Do not pervert (to turn away from what is right; to turn from truth; corrupt) justice.
3. Do not show partiality (inclination to favor one party) during judgment.
4. Do not accept bribes because bribes corrupt justice.
5. Pursue justice and nothing less (see above for definition).

God obviously loves justice and is calling us to love justice.

To be continued...

Disclaimer: My goal is to interpret what God has to say about justice. I cannot do that without the Holy Spirit so I am solely relying on Him for guidance. You are free to agree or disagree with anything written here. If you think I'm way off on something, feel free to let me know...nicely, please.

Opinion vs. Truth. I want truth. JUSTICE

Opinion vs. Truth. I want truth.

JUSTICE

Just - not doing wrong to any; righteous; honest; true; upright

Justice - conformity to the principles of righteousness (doing what is right) and moral integrity in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of men with each other


God said...
For I have chosen him (Abraham), so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised. Genesis 18:19

Application: God is just and he wants his people to be just too.

God told Moses to set these laws for His people...
You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute. If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him. You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty. You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just. You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt. Exodus 23:1 - 9

Application to follow God's law about justice:
1. Tell the honest truth in all situations involving the courts.
2. Do not judge wrongly...Do not put an innocent person to death because God will not acquit the guilty.
3. Bribes corrupt justice.


To be continued...

Disclaimer: My goal is to interpret what God has to say about justice. I cannot do that without the Holy Spirit so I am solely relying on Him for guidance. You are free to agree or disagree with anything written here. If you think I'm way off on something, feel free to let me know...nicely, please.

Opinion vs. Truth. I want truth.

Is it my choice to decide whether or not someone dies?

If I'm attacked by a big, burly man, and I fear for my life, what would God think about me taking the man's life before he killed me?

If one day I receive news that if I go through with the pregnancy, there is an 80% chance that I will die, do I choose my life or my unborn child's?

One of my favorites and I talked about this today.


We also talked about...

The death penalty. Is it right for a human to make a decision to put another human to death?

Torture. Is it right for humans to torture another human because they think he or she is withholding information that might save a nation?


I know most of these questions are justice issues, and I do have some opinions, but I don't want to bank on my opinions. I want the truth. What does my Bible have to say about this? I'll get back to you.

Gnats in Packs

This weekend I found something else that frustrates me just like the wind does when I'm riding my bike up a hill (see previous post titled Anger - Good or Bad? YES).

Bugs. Those annoying little gnats that swarm in packs. They attack your eyes...your mouth...your ears...I even had one fly up my nose!


So how did I deal with this anger?

1. Sat in a camp chair with an angry look on my face hoping the useless little creatures would be intimidated by my scowl.

When that didn't work...

2. Bug spray.

Spraying myself didn't do a lick of good. Spraying the air around me - not so much either.

Next.

3. Sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" while sporadically clapping my hands together to try to kill as many of the pests as I could in each clap. You'd be surprised...a few of the other campers were doing this as well.

No. And the winner is...

4. Put a baseball cap on with a hoodie.

This temporarily worked. Why? It blocked my vision of most of the pesky little buggers. They still managed to fly at my face every once in a while, however.

I did feel silly getting angry with the gnats, but I wasn't really sure what to do about it since they were constantly in my face. My temporary fix was good enough for this time.

Next camping trip...

A mosquito net hat. I don't care if I look crazy. At least I won't be wasting my time being angry with bugs.


P.S. One of my favorites made friends with the gnats. She's much sweeter than me.

Beautiful

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say You’re beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It’s all proclaiming who You are
You’re beautiful,
You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You’re beautiful, you're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face,
You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face,
You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, I see Your face
I see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

"You're Beautiful" by Phil Wickham

What a perfect song to fall asleep to last night as the moon is shining. What a perfect song to wake up to as the sun is shining on this beautiful morning. YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!

Road Trip

One week ago, I was on a road trip...just me and God. As I began my journey, I felt convicted of neglecting our relationship. It had been a long time since He and I spent a significant amount of time talking to each other.

As tears streamed down my face, I cried out to him through songs like Run to You, Hungry (Falling on my Knees), and Take My Life. See lyrics below.

I came upon a construction zone, and instantly thought about the construction that was going on in my heart in that very moment. Think about entering a construction zone...you have to slow down and be more cautious of your surroundings. God used my 3 1/2 hour road trip to slow me down, and speak to my heart. I am notorious for being the energizer bunny, and the problem with that is I find it difficult to slow down...to listen to God. In the construction zone, I became much more aware of what was going on around me because it was necessary for my safety and the cars near me. I think God was telling me that he wants to do some construction in my life, but I need to pay closer attention to Him (which requires spending time with Him, of course) or I will cause damage to myself and possibly to those around me.

As I continued on my journey, I noticed a car flipped upside down on the side of the road. An accident. Life is full of accidents. There have been countless times where I have been flipped upside down, broken inside and out. I saw a stretcher near the car. It reminded me that sometimes I come out of my accidents or mistakes on a stretcher and need great healing to become whole again. I know that healing can only come from my God. As I continued to think about how I had been neglecting the most important person in my life, I began to feel a peace. God said, "I love you. I love you even when you make mistakes. I love you even when you don't pay attention to me. I'm always here for you."

I've been following Christ for almost 4 1/2 years, and my following is far from perfect. In fact, it will never be perfect, BUT I know that this is the only way to live. God will help me with the construction in my life, and He will never leave me. That's beautiful. He's beautiful.


Do you know Him?


Run to You by The Ember Days

You are calling
You are calling me to You
And I run, and I run to You

I need You
I can’t get enough of You
I come alive when I’m in Your presence
Oh God of my salvation

You adore me
You are drawing me to You
And I run Jesus
And I run

I need You
I can’t get enough of You
I come alive when I’m in Your presence
Oh God of my salvation

I run to you, Lord
I run to you (x2)

I need You
I can’t get enough of You
I come alive when I’m in Your presence
Oh God of my salvation


Hungry (Falling on my Knees) by Kathryn Scott

Hungry I come to you
For I know you satisfy
I am empty
but I know your love does not run dry

So I wait for you
So I wait for you

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me
Jesus your all this heart is living for

Broken I run to you
For your arms are open wide
I am weary
But I know your love does not run dry

So I wait for you
So I wait for you

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me
Jesus your all this heart is living for


Take My Life by Chris Tomlin

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as You choose.

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

Take my will and make it Thine
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own
it shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord I pour
at Your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.

Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

Anger - Good or Bad? YES

Have you ever gotten angry over something ridiculous?


I distinctly remember becoming furious with the wind one day last summer. Yes, the wind. As I began the long ride up the hill on my mountain bike, the wind decided he (or she) was going to push against me as hard as he possibly could just to tick me off...or so that's what it felt like as I struggled to pedal up that neverending hill while my quads nearly burned out of my skin. I remember wanting to curse at the wind, and quite honestly, I may have once or twice when he pushed even harder against me. I'm not sure adrenaline is supposed to reach the level it did in my body that day, but I'll probably never forget the anger I felt toward that malicious wind.

Ok...so getting angry at the wind is pretty silly. I know this. What other things, though, have I gotten angry over AND are they worthy of the anger?

This was the challenge presented to me at my Monday night gathering this past week.

So...

What have I been angry (or frustrated) about that is NOT worthy of getting angry about?

Slow drivers
Required meetings
Misplaced or lost items
Cancelled events
Tall people standing in front of me


What have I been angry about that IS worthy of getting angry about?

Sex trafficking
Child abuse
Starvation
Misuse of power

Maybe I can just make one category for these - selfishness at the expense of others.

Some would call this kind of anger, the kind that IS worthy,"righteous anger" because the anger is in response to sin. If we see sin the way God sees it, we will become angry too. The point for us is not to condemn or judge those in the midst of sinful behavior. This kind of anger should never cause us to sin, but it should push us to find a way to help encourage righteous behavior. It should cause us to want to do something to help the situation.

"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." (Ephesians 4:26).

Humans in Guatemala are starving. Humans in Africa are starving. Humans in many places in our world are starving. I find myself with righteous anger when I think about this situation. I don't know all the reasons why humans are starving to death, but I do know that part of the cause of this hunger is due to sin...the selfish behavior of humans. I know there is enough food for everyone in the world, yet people are still dying of hunger.

God does not call me to deal with this anger by judging those who are not thinking about the poor. God does not call me to condemn those who are stealing food that's being sent to provide for those in need.

The way that I deal with this anger is to donate money to feed the poor. I bought several buckets of food for the Treasures living the garbage dump of Guatemala City. The staff of Potter's House, an organization that reaches out the Treasures, will deliver the food to the families most in need. My hope is that others will recognize one of the righteous ways to deal with this situation, and join me in feeding the poor. My hope is that the Treasures will find God through His provision for them.


So when I cursed at the wind last summer...right response? NO

"Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20, ESV).

Octopus

I shared my bag of sour octopus with two of my favorites the other day.

Selfish? NO

Self-sacrificial? Not quite, considering the whole bag would have hyped me up on sugar so bad that I wouldn't sleep for days...so in all honesty, it was probably necessary to share, although I could have chosen to hord them all for myself. I did, in fact, feel quite free after I offered the last octopus to my favorites. Ironically, neither one would take it.

I'm a work in progress.

See post from April titled "Self..." if this makes no sense to you.

Words are Powerful

It's not often that I watch television.

In fact, there is only 1 show that I am committed to watching, even if I watch it 3 weeks later on my laptop at cbs.com.

Flashpoint. It's about a strategic response unit who looks out for the good of the world.

Tonight's episode (well, the show is actually on Friday nights, but tonight seemed like a good night to sit back and relax for 42 minutes with some orange sherbert and my laptop) was about a "typical" school shooting. It makes me sad to know that I can refer to a situation where a kid brings a gun to school and shoots other humans as typical, but it is the reality in our world today.

Billy was a high school sophomore who had a knack for art. His dad was a drunk, so the family was living in poverty. Ella noticed Billy's talent, but she was dating Scott, Mr. Big Shot Football Player. Scott and his friend, Tony, spent their free time at school bullying the scrawny little sophomore. Billy quickly tired of the bullying, and the day after he was forced to eat garbage and say that he was gay, he decided to bring a gun to school to get revenge. While looking for his bullys, Billy interrupted a class. One of the students not knowing that there was a gun under Billy's shirt, stood up and said, "Get out, you loser!"

Two shots fired. The boy and a nearby classmate were injured, the girl losing blood quickly.

When the SRU arrived, the boy explained,"I called him a loser, and he went nuts. It's my fault she is hurt."

Words are powerful.

Words can hurt. Some show the hurt by acting out like Billy. Some internalize the hurt and slowly begin to believe that their identity is in lies behind the words.


My day began thinking about words. I thought about the words I had used two days before when I was frustrated with one of my favorites. I confess, sometimes my favorites aren't always my favorites, but it doesn't take long for them to become my favorite again. Such is life.

Thankfully I was able to have a conversation with my favorite, and was graciously forgiven for my diarrhea of the mouth moment.

Throughout the day, I continued to have conversations that wreaked of hurtful words.

"I called my son a f***ing idiot."

"He would get angry and lash out, verbally abusing my mom."

Words are powerful.


I think God may be challenging me to spend more time thinking about the way I use MY words. You know the saying, "Think before you speak." Think about...

The choice of words. The tone of voice. The context. The heart.

Jesus says...

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned”.
Matthew 12:34 - 37

Words are powerful.

So many times, I can let my emotions speak before I have time to logically think through the context of the situation. So many times, I speak before I have time to draw out God's Word.

Think before I speak. Store up God's Word in my heart.


What words should NOT come out of my mouth? Words that...

...criticize

...judge

...hate

...demean

...curse

...corrupt

...deceive

..._______

What words should come out of my mouth? Words that...

...encourage

...love

...forgive

...support

...speak truth

...thank

...save

..._______

Words are powerful.


What words came out of your mouth today? Did your words help or hurt?